Kentucky Board of Examiners: A Collaborative Effort
Introduction
Kentucky has 29 approved educator preparation institutions. Each institution
must undergo a stringent process of examination to maintain its
state and national accreditation status. The Kentucky Education
Professional Standards Board (EPSB) adopted the National Council
for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) standards and
peer review process for evaluating institutions in order to ensure
quality of teacher/administrator preparation. While all institutions
must maintain state accreditation, 15 of the institutions also
have chosen to have national NCATE accreditation.
NCATE is an independent accrediting agency that replaced the accreditation
function for teacher/administrator education previously conducted
by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
(AACTE). NCATE provides professional judgment via peer review
of the quality of the education unit (i.e., program) and encourages
continuous improvement and accountability in teacher/administrator
preparation. NCATE establishes standards and procedures to carry out the accreditation process for on-site reviewers, determines the accreditation status of institutions, and publishes a biannual guide of accredited units.
The NCATE review process ensures that requirements for accreditation are related to established knowledge and sound professional practice; establishes and upholds national standards of excellence; and strengthens the quality and integrity of professional education units.
Through the accreditation process, NCATE also provides assurance to the public that professionally accredited units have met national professional standards.
Additional information regarding NCATE and the Board of Examiners Updates can be found by accessing the NCATE website: http://www.ncate.org
BOE: Board of Examiners
The BOE is a team of professional educators who perform the most essential component of the NCATE and Kentucky accreditation process – the peer review of the professional education unit at a college or university.
The BOE comprises equal representation from teacher education, teachers, administrators, specialty areas, and state/local policy makers.
BOE Selection Procedure
Nominees to the BOE must have demonstrated expertise in professional education, teaching, research, and/or evaluation; good writing skills; proficiency in evaluation technique, such as interpreting quantified data, using rating scales and questionnaires, interviewing and observing, and reading and analyzing narrative information; and the ability to make respected professional judgments about education units.
BOE Opportunities
Educator preparation programs in Kentucky undergo accreditation
visits on a 5-year or 7-year cycle. Trained BOE members, along
with state staff, make up the team for these visits.
In addition to participating on the on-site visiting teams, BOE
members act in other capacities, such as serving on EPSB committees.
Teachers who participate in the BOE training may earn professional
development credit (as approved by their local district). The
EPSB provides funding for substitutes and will reimburse participants
for expenses incurred for travel, lodging, and food during training
and visits.
Training
Training is designed to help BOE members develop skills for making professional judgments about the application of NCATE/state standards to education units. Participants are trained in the philosophy, policies, procedures, and processes of on-site evaluation.
After Training
BOE members are expected to stay current on best practices and attend state, regional, and national professional education meetings. Prior to an accreditation visit, a team of BOE members is formed. A list of these members is then forwarded to the college/university. The institution sends the team members a packet of materials describing the education unit and the institution as a whole.
During the Visit
When team members arrive on campus, all preliminary reading about
the institution and its programs should have been completed. Team
members are scheduled to spend three - four days together to determine
whether the professional education unit has met the NCATE/state
standards. These days are spent reviewing documents; visiting
schools; observing classes; touring facilities; and interviewing
candidates, faculty, cooperating teachers, administrators, and
others. Working collaboratively, the team reaches consensus and
determines if the professional education unit has met the standards.
The team submits a written report of its findings to the EPSB
for an accreditation decision.
After the Visit
In order to ensure quality, BOE team members evaluate their team colleagues on characteristics related to interpreting the standards and NCATE’s procedures. The institution also is asked to evaluate the performance of each team member.
If you have an interest in the education of Kentucky’s teachers/administrators in education quality issues, your service as a member of Kentucky’s Board of Examiners would be appreciated.
Contact the Division of Educator Preparation |
